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Sonoma teen raised $10k for research after doctors at Stanford save her moms life
A Sonoma teenager is presenting a $10,000 check to a specialized research team at Stanford after she credited the team for saving her mom’s life.
SONOMA, Calif. - A Sonoma teenager is presenting a $10,000 check to a specialized research team at Stanford after she credited the team for saving her mom’s life.
What we know:
Lani Delorefice, 18, is a senior at Sonoma Valley High School who is part of the Future Farmers of America, FAA.
For the last seven years, she said she has been raising livestock, but this past August, she sold her steer to raise money for brain tumor research.
Her mother, Rebecca, is now recovering from intense brain surgery to remove a large tumor, is a beneficiary of Stanford’s care.
She sold her steer at the Sonoma County Fair for the well above market price of $20,000.
"It was a hefty $5,000 a quarter per buyer for maybe 300 pounds of meat," said Lani.
She said she’s giving half of those earnings to a research team at Stanford, led by Dr. Konstantina Stankovic, who she credits for saving her mom’s life.
"She’s the person who made sure my mom is still here today," Lani said.
The backstory:
Back in the Fall of 2023, Lani’s mom Rebecca said she started seeing strange symptoms she chalked up to stress.
"I started noticing hearing loss, some facial issues, and wasn’t quite sure what was going on but I’m busy, I’m a mom, I just kind of brushed it off," Rebecca said.
Doctors learned she had vestibular schwannoma, a benign brain tumor the size of a golf ball.
After a 12-hour surgery at Stanford, performed by Dr. Stankovic in April 2024, and nine months of physical therapy and treatments, Rebecca is finally feeling next to normal.
"With all of the hard work that Dr. Stankovic and her research team put in today, she’s the same mom I had before and it’s amazing to see," said Lani said.
The situation left a mark on Lani, and it took a lot of work to raise the money.
Lani said local businesses in the area helped her raise the money, Atwood Ranch, business owner Kelly McGrogan, and JMH Construction.
"I started soliciting this to my buyers, I started reeling people in from Stanford, checking with their research team to see if this was possible," she said.
Lani said seeing her mom’s face at the auction in August after she accomplished her goal made it all worth it.
"It made me cry, I couldn’t believe it," said Rebecca.
"She greeted me with tears in her eyes and I started tearing up too. It was one off the best moments of my life," said Lani.
Lani said she wants to make sure others get the same care her mom did.
"I wanted to make sure that other people could have their mom and see their mom grow old with them in the same way that I can now," said Lani.
What's next:
The remaining $10,000 she raised will go towards Lani’s future endeavors.
She plans to study veterinary medicine after she graduates.
Next week, they’ll be presenting the $10,000 check to the Stanford research team.
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